AB 2143: Mental health: Licensed Mental Health Service Provider Education Program.

Existing law establishes the Licensed Mental Health Service Provider Education Program within the Health Professions Education Foundation. Existing law authorizes a licensed mental health service provider, as defined, including, among others, a psychologist and a marriage and family therapist, who provides direct patient care in a publicly funded facility or a mental health professional shortage area to apply for grants under the program to reimburse his or her educational loans related to a career as a licensed mental health service provider, as specified. Existing law establishes the Mental Health Practitioner Education Fund in the State Treasury and provides that moneys in that fund are available, upon appropriation, for expenditure by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development for purposes of the program.

This bill would expand the program to apply to persons eligible under existing law who attain further education in order to practice as psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners or physician assistants in psychiatric mental health settings, thereby allowing those practitioners to apply for grants under the program for reimbursement of those later-incurred educational loans.